Reviews

THE CLEVERLYS BLUE Mountain Home MH 17672 From Cane Spur, Ark., The Cleverlys are a family ensemble that includes Dr. Digger Cleverly (guitar), Ricky Lloyd Cleverly (bass, kick drum, vocoder), Sock Cleverly (fiddle), DVD Cleverly (banjo), and Cub Cleverly (mandolin). The band’s approach to their brand of bluegrass music borders on traditional in instrumentation, but…

THE LONELY HEARTSTRING BAND SMOKE AND ASHES Rounder Records 1766700472 Smoke & Ashesis the second album for the Lonely Heartstring Band, recipient of the 2015 IBMA Momentum Award for Band Of The Year. As the band’s name implies, the group has developed its unique sound rooted in pop and rock (such as The Beatles and…

CIRCA BLUE FOOTPRINTS IN A SONG Bell Buckle Records No Number This West Virginia band presents a powerful program with tight arrangements and some hot guests that provide some great music. Steve Harris (guitar), Ryan Mullins (mandolin), Matt Hickman (banjo), and Jacob Bly (bass) form the nucleus of the band. They received help most notably…

FRANCOIS VOLA BACK TO BLUEGRASS No Label No Number Thirty years ago, the idea of a French (or any European) bluegrass guitarist recording and performing as an equal with established stars like Darol Anger and David Grisman would have seemed as out of place as watching a Saudi Arabian player scoring a hat-trick in the…

ALLISON DE GROOT AND TATIANA HARGREAVES Free Dirt Records CD-0092 Duet albums are great litmus tests. There are no other musicians to hide behind or lean upon, and the ability of the two players to mesh, intertwine, and musically complement each other is on full display. In the case of this pairing of banjoist Allison…

JOHN McCUTCHEON TO EVERYONE IN ALL THE WORLD: A CELEBRATION OF PETE SEEGER Appalsongs 2019 This recorded tribute to Pete Seeger is neither old-time nor bluegrass, but it does have a few names you should recognize, aside from John McCutcheon. Hot Rize backs up the first cut, “Well May The World Go,” with John on…